A former martial arts instructor in Parker has been sentenced to three years in prison for sexually assaulting two child students at the studio where he worked.

Parker Police Department

Jose Hilario Soto

Jose Hilario Soto, 21, worked for Otomi Martial Arts when the crime was reported on May 30, 2017, according to the Douglas County district attorney’s office.

Soto pleaded guilty in October to one count of attempted sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and one count sexual exploitation of a child, both felonies, according to a news release. Additional charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

The owner of the martial arts studio cooperated with law enforcement during the investigation.

The parents of the victims spoke at Monday’s sentencing hearing.

“The world is full of thugs and miscreants and deviants, but those who abuse children who are defenseless and innocent … I’ll never figure that out,” a father told the court. Soto “needs a tangible consequence.”

Also at the sentencing, Deputy District Attorney Valerie Brewer said: “The defendant robbed the victims of a sense of security – he took that safe place away from them.”

Soto, who must register as a sex offender, was also sentenced to 24 months of parole following his prison term and 10 years of sex offender intensive supervised probation.

Kieran Nicholson covers breaking news for The Denver Post. He started at the Post in 1986, at the old building on 15th and California streets. Nicholson has covered a variety of beats including suburbs, courts, crime and general assignment.

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